Floods kill dozens in India, Mumbai water-logged

Floods and landslides killed at least 70 people in western India on Wednesday, left dozens more missing, and forced rescue teams to evacuate thousands of people stranded by rising waters in the financial capital, Mumbai.

The army, navy and air force were called in to help as floodwaters swept the coast of Maharashtra state, with officials increasingly concerned about 150 people feared buried after a landslide in a village 150 kilometres south of Mumbai.

In Mumbai, meteorologists said heavy rains and high winds were forecast to continue for another 48 hours, after a record 94 centimetres of rainfall in the north of the city during the previous day, the highest since 1974.

Electricity and phone links were cut in Mumbai, home to the Bollywood movie industry, schools were shut and commuters were stranded for a second day as trains and buses were cancelled.

Trading on Mumbai's bond and currency markets was abandoned, flights in and out of the city were rerouted or cancelled and the Government called a state holiday, advising people to stay home.

Flooding in the monsoon season in India, which runs from June to September, kills hundreds of people each year and disrupts life in wide swathes of land.